Adjustable sleeve for robes and the like



Feb. 28, 1939.

A. L BELLONE ADJUSTABLE SLEEVE FOR ROBES AND THE LIKE Fi led Feb. 24, 1938 INVENTOR 5 WITNESS ,gm

M A ORNEYS Patented Feb. 28, 1939 ADJUSTABLE SLEEVE FOR ROBES AND THE Achilles L. Bellone, Clifton, N. .J., assignor to Botany WorstedMills, Passaic, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application February 24, 1938, Serial No. 192,233

.5 Claims.

"The invention relates to sleeves having sufficient length "in the material thereof to form an integral cuff from such excess length of material. More particularly, the-invention relates to a robe or similar garment, the sleeves of which are provided with a cuff formed by turning the sleeve material near the extremity of the sleeve, so as to constitute a double layer of the material at the end .of the sleeve,. such double layer constituting a cuff integral with the sleeve.

An object of the invention is toprovide such a garment sleeve with means whereby the length of the sleeve, by providing different widths of cuff I thereon, may be ad'justed'to the proper arm length 15: of the wearer of the garment.

A garment, such as a robe, is usually manufactured and marketed in a small variety of sizes, particularly determined by the body size of the wearer. The body measurements, which may make a particular garment of the correct size for an individual, may, however, and usually is, not in proper oonformance or in the required proportion to the length-of the arms of the wearer. Thus, robes like a bath robe, are usually made in ap- 25 proximately four sizes; each of such sizes being provided with a different sleeve length. It is usually unprofitable for a retail merchant to have onhis shelves any more than a small quantity of each of four different sizes of a garment, and a particular size of such garment which may otherwise flt the prospective purchaser is ordinarily found to;havea sleeve length not suitable orcommensurate with the arm length of the wearer. It is, therefore, usually necessary to shorten or lengthen the sleeve by entirely removing the cuff therefrom, removing a certain portion of the material underlying the cuff, or adding a certain portion of material to the sleeve material at a point underlying the cuff, and then resewing the cuff. If this procedure is not followed, the inordinate length or shortness of the sleeve presents an appearance of the garment, when worn, which may very well, and usually does, result in the loss of the sale.

In accordance with my invention, I provide means upon the sleeve of a garment, such as a bath robe, of conforming the length'of the sleeve, by anadjustmentof the width of the cuff portion thereof, to the actual length of the arm of the wearer. This I accomplish by means of the novel structure of sleeve constructed in accordance with my invention.

In its broadest aspect, the accomplishment of I this purpose is attained by providing a connecting member constituted of a button at the end of a threaded shaft having a sharp point which, after passage through a buttonhole, and penetration of the sleeve material, is adapted to cooperate with a second, internally threaded, button element passed through a second ibuttonhole provided in the opposite portion of the sleeve. The sleeve, in the condition in'which the garment is delivered to the retail store, is not pressed as is customary to provide a finished cuff, but is in such condition that any given width of cuff may be provided upon the :sleeve. This is accomplished either by increasing or decreasing the width of the cuff as much as an inch or an inch and a half in either direction after it has been turned to constitute the duplex cuff element on the sleeve. For best results, one element of the fastener structure, in accordance with my invention, is passed through a buttonhole provided near the end portion of the sleeve material, such end portion being folded over to form the cuff, and then the pointed end of the threaded shaft, and the shaft itself, of the fastener element is passed through the fabric of the sleeve by a turning movement of the element, the cooperating button, passed through the other buttonhole, being secured to the end of the threaded shaft on the opposite side of the foldedover cuff.

A particular embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view of a portion of the sleeve of a arment showing the provision near the end thereof of two buttonholes; Fig. 2 shows such portion of the sleeve with the fastening elements passed through the two buttonholes, the sleeve being shown in this condition in which it may be supplied to the retail shop, 1. e. without any cuff formed thereon; Fig. 3 shows the sleeve with the end portion thereof folded over to constitute a cuff of the desired width; Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 shows the same sleeve with a cuff of greater width than that in Fig. 3, formed thereon in accordance with my invention; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 is a vertical section through the cooperating fastener elements.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, I 0 represents a portion of the sleeve of a robe or similar garment which is provided near the edge of the material forming the open end of the sleeve, with two buttonholes II and I2. In delivering the garment to a retail shop, no crease in the sleeves thereof need be made, the garment being preferably displayed or stored with the sleeve edges secured together by the passing through the buttonholes H and [2 of a cooperating fastening structure broadly designated in Fig. 2 as 13.

When the prospective purchaser has tried on the garment and it has beendetermined that the size thereof is proper so far as the body dimensions thereofare concerned, the edge portions of the sleeve I'O are'turnedor folded'over to constitute a cuff 14 0f such width-as to make the sleeve conform with theexact arm length of the wearer.

The width of the cuff [4 may be adjusted to any desired degree in the following manner:

The male member l5 of the fastener structure l3, which member is provided with a shaft 16 having threads ll thereon and a sharp point I8, is passed through one of the buttonholes H or [2 and then through the two layers i9 and 2B of the fabric material constituting the sleeve. The

male fastener element 55, in causing the pene-.

tration of the threaded shaft I6 through such material, is preferably given a rotary movement so that it will pass through the fabric Without destroying the weave thereof, the sharp point l8 and the threaded stem 96 thus being effective to cause the production of an aperture having no inordinately raw. edges. The edges of the aperture produced, inthe event that the securing member should be removed and placed in a different position and therefore passing through a different portion of the fabric, may then be smoothened by rubbing the fabric or applying an iron thereto.

After passage of the threaded shaft [5 through the material of the fabric, such threaded stem is brought into cooperative engagement with the female member 2! of the fastener structure, such member being provided with internal threading 22, whereby the fastening structure is secured in position to retain the specific length of cuff thus formed. The sleeve, with the cuff as thus produced, may then be ironed or otherwise pressed with the length of the sleeve conforming exactly to the arm length of the wearer of the garment.

An advantage of my novel structure resides also in the fact that the fastener structure, or one of the elements thereof, may be readily removed, so that the cuff may be folded back for washing or facility in laundering the garment. To accomplish the first of these purposes, thefemale member of the fastener structure need be disengaged only, leaving the male member in position, so that no other aperture need'be formed in the sleeve material when the two parts are again engaged.

The fastener structure [3 may have both of its cooperating elements provided with a covering or surfacing material 23 of the same material as that constituting the sleeve or of a material and color contrasting with that of the sleeve material.

In Fig. 5, I have shown the same garment sleeve with a cuff 24 of. greater width produced exactly in accordance with the operations described with respect to the formation of the cuff M of Fig. 3.

It will be noted, therefore, that in accordance with my invention, I am enabled to conform the length of the sleeve of any garment, by an adjustment of the Width of the cuff formed thereon, to the actual arm length of the wearer.

It will be understood, of course,xthat while I have described the application of my inventive structure specifically to a garment such as a' robe, it will be obvious that the structure of my invention may be applied to other types of garments, namely any garment having a sleeve the length of which it may be desirable to adjust to conform with the wearers actual arm length.

I claim:

1. An adjustable sleeve structure for robes and the like, comprising a tubular sleeve member having a slit along a portion of its length adjacent the open end thereof and having a pair of buttonholes adjacent said slit, the end portionof said sleeve, constituting an unbroken extension thereof, being folded over to form a. cuff, the material below the folded over portion being imperforate, and a fastener structure constituted of a female member and a cooperating male member, the latter having a pointed shaft, passing through one of the buttonholes of the sleeve, then through the double ply of imperforate material constituting the sleeve and folded-over cuff and then into said female member extending through the other of said buttonholes.

2. An adjustable sleeve for robes and the like, comprising a substantially tubular piece of fabric slit along a portion of its length whereby any portion of the end section of. the fabric, constituting an unbroken extension thereof, may be folded'over to constitute a cuff, integral with the sleeve, of any desired width, the remaining portion of the fabric being imperforate and a fastener structure for securing said folded-over cuff to the imperforate material constituting the sleeve, said fastener structure being constituted of a male member having a pointed and threaded shaft and a threaded and recessed female mem-- her for receiving said shaft, the threaded and pointed shaft passing through the double ply of imperforate material constituting the sleeve portion underlying the folded-over cuff.

3. Anadjustable sleeve for robes and the like, comprising a substantiallytubular piece of fabric, imperforate throughout the major portion of its length and slit along a portion of its length whereby the end portion of the fabric, constituting an unbroken extension thereof, may be folded over to constitute a cuff, integral with the sleeve, and a fastener structure for securing said folded-over cuff to the imperforate material constituting the sleeve, said fastener structure comprising a male member having a pointed shaft,

and a female member for receiving said shaft, the pointed shaft passing through, the cuff and through the double ply of imperforate material constituting the sleeve portion underlying the folded-over cuff.

4. An adjustable sleeve for robes and the like, comprising a substantially tubular piece of fabric, imperforate throughoutthe major portion of its length and slit along a portion of its length whereby the end portion of the fabric, consti-vv tuting an unbroken extension thereof, may be folded over to constitute a cuff, integral with the sleeve, and. afastener structure for securing said folded-over cuff tofithe imperforate material constituting the'sleeve, said fastener structure comprising cooperating elements, one of which'passes through the double ply of imperforate material constituting the sleeve portion underlying the folded-over cuff, whereby the Width of the foldedover cuff, and therefore the length of the sleeve, may be conformed to the actual arm length of the wearer of the garment.

5. An adjustable sleeve structure for robes and the like, comprising a tubular sleeve member, the end portion of which, constituting an unbroken extension thereof, is folded over to constitute a cuff, integral with the sleeve, the ma terial below the folded over portion being imperforate, and a fastener structure constituted of two cooperating elements, one having a pointed shaft adapted to be passed, at any point along and through thedouble ply of imperforate material forming, with the end portion of the sleeve material, a folded-over cuff and then into coopcrating engagement with the other of said elements.

. ACHILLES L. BELLONE. j 

